Talking Pools Podcast

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In this episode of Talking Pools, Wayne shares his harrowing experience with a cardiac event that nearly cost him his life. He discusses the support he received from his family and medical professionals, reflecting on the importance of health and recovery. The conversation then shifts to the implications of such health scares on life perspectives and the lessons learned. The hosts also delve into the complexities of insurance, particularly regarding hazmat liability in the pool service industry, emphasizing the need for proper coverage. Finally, they address communication challenges within the pool service team, highlighting the importance of clear communication with clients and among team members to ensure smooth operations and maintain trust.

takeaways

• Wayne experienced a cardiac event that was life-threatening.
• The importance of immediate medical response and support from family.
• Health issues can change one's perspective on life.
• Insurance coverage is crucial for pool service businesses.
• Communication is key in maintaining client relationships.
• Employees must be responsible and communicate effectively.
• Trust between employers and employees is essential.
• Health scares can serve as wake-up calls for better self-care.
• Proper training and communication can prevent misunderstandings.
• It's important to engage with listeners and share experiences.

Sound Bites

• "I am the walking dead right now"
• "It's the weird stuff that happens"
• "You can't babysit your employees"

Chapters

00:00
Wayne's Health Scare: A Personal Journey

05:51
Recovery and Reflections on Life

11:30
Understanding Cardiac Events and Their Impact

14:36
Insurance Insights: Protecting Your Business

20:39
Communication Challenges in Pool Service

32:31
Navigating Employee Responsibility and Trust

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In this episode of the Talking Pools podcast, Natalie Hood and Joe Garcia discuss the often misunderstood topic of pool financing. They debunk common myths surrounding financing, emphasizing its accessibility for all income levels and its strategic benefits for homeowners. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the impact of inflation on pool costs, the value of pools in real estate, and the advantages of financing over cash purchases. Joe shares insights on how financing can empower consumers to create their dream backyards without the stress of financial burden.

takeaways

• Financing is a strategic tool for homeowners.
• Many myths exist about pool financing.
• Pools are accessible to all income levels.
• Inflation affects the cost of pool projects.
• Financing can lead to quicker pool installation.
• Pools can increase the resale value of homes.
• Cash isn't always the best option for financing.
• Financing allows for creative design options.
• Understanding monthly payments is crucial for budgeting.
• Educating consumers on financing options is essential.

Sound Bites

• "You can apply and get the loan."
• "Financing creates more buying power."
• "It's time to rethink pool financing."

Chapters

00:00
Understanding Pool Financing

07:55
The Importance of Supporting Veterans

19:35
Debunking Myths About Pool Ownership

28:35
Financing vs. Cash: What Builders Prefer

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In this episode of Talking Pools, Lee and Shane discuss the impact of bushfires in Australia and New Zealand, particularly focusing on how these fires affect swimming pools and the necessary cleanup strategies. They share personal experiences and insights on effective pool maintenance post-fire, the importance of community preparedness, and resources available for fire safety. The conversation emphasizes the need for proactive measures to protect homes and pools during fire seasons.


Takeaways

The holiday season brings excitement, especially for families with children.
Bushfires are a significant concern in both Australia and New Zealand.
Static water supplies in pools can be crucial for firefighting efforts.
Effective cleanup of pools post-bushfire can be achieved without draining them.
Using robotic pool cleaners and alum sulfate can aid in pool cleaning after fires.
Community preparedness is essential for fire safety and response.
Local councils may have different regulations regarding wastewater disposal after fires.
Firefighting pumps can be a valuable investment for pool owners in fire-prone areas.
Creating cheat sheets for pool cleaning can help streamline the process for customers.
Engaging with local fire services can enhance community safety and preparedness.

Sound bites

"It's getting those swimming pools ready!"
"It's devastating for what it is."
"Stay safe, most of all."


Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Holiday Cheer
02:52 Current Fire Situations in Australia and New Zealand
09:51 Impact of Bushfires on Pools and Cleanup Strategies
16:10 Effective Pool Cleaning Techniques Post-Fire
27:35 Community Preparedness and Resources for Fire Safety

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Rudy does something different this week: he takes the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) out of the pool industry echo chamber and walks it through the lens of academics, civil engineers, groundwater chemists, and industrial water experts who don’t care about plaster warranties, brand marketing, or trade show politics.

If you’ve ever argued about “which LSI is right” in a Facebook group, this one is for you.

Episode Overview

Rudy kicks off with a news analogy:
 How the same event looks completely different on U.S. news versus international coverage. Same facts, different framing.

He uses that setup to shift how we look at LSI:

• We already know the pool industry story about LSI: PHTA charts, app calculators, Orenda talks, trade folklore.
• But this episode asks:
   “What does the scientific community think about LSI when they’re not talking to pool people at all?”

Rudy dives into how universities and researchers actually use and define LSI in research on:

• Groundwater
• Drinking water stability
• Industrial cooling systems
• Desalination plants
• Boiler operations
• Cement leaching
• Environmental engineering

Key Concepts Covered

1. LSI as the Outside World Sees It

• Academics consistently define LSI = pH − pHs, where pHs is the calculated saturation pH, not something you measure with a test kit.
• pHs is derived from:
  • Calcium hardness
  • Carbonate alkalinity
  • Ionic strength (modeled via TDS / activity coefficients)
  • Temperature
• LSI is treated as a thermodynamic index:
  • It shows which direction water wants to move with respect to calcium carbonate.
  • It does not tell you how fast scale forms, how thick it gets, or how quickly surfaces dissolve.

2. What Negative, Zero, and Positive LSI Actually Mean (Academically)

• Negative LSI
  • Water is under-saturated in calcium carbonate.
  • It is capable of dissolving calcium carbonate if given the chance.
  • Researchers call it “aggressive” or “decalcifying” water—but they do not say it guarantees corrosion.
• LSI ≈ 0
  • Theoretical equilibrium with calcium carbonate.
  • In the real world, systems almost never sit at perfect equilibrium because of flow, aeration, dosing, and turbulence.
• Positive LSI
  • Water is supersaturated with calcium carbonate and has a tendency to form scale.
  • Whether scale actually forms depends on kinetics, flow, and surface conditions—not LSI alone.

Academics repeat one theme:

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This week, Steve flies solo again — but with good news: Wayne is on the mend and expected back very soon. Until then, Steve brings a full toolbox of stories, lessons, and a deep dive into one of the most-requested topics from pool pros: leak detection as a service.

🔥 Segment 1 — Cautionary Tales From the Field

Steve opens with some brutally honest stories from the last month on his route:

• Losing a couple clients — why it happened, what could’ve prevented it, and why sometimes letting a low-margin client go is actually a win.
• The dangers of overpromising on scheduling (the 8–12 weeks of missed Mondays story).
• Why setting expectations — and saying no when you must — is better than apologizing for 12 weeks straight.
• How daylight savings, shorter days, and rushed afternoons can wreck your rhythm if you don’t adjust.

Includes a quick detour into Tales From the Crypt, because of course it does.

🔥 Segment 2 — The Test Kit Incident (AKA: The Accidental Heist)

Steve recounts a hysterical-but-humbling event:

• One of his techs “borrowed” a client’s commercial test kit to refill reagents…
• … forgot it in the truck for DAYS…
• … which triggered a full internal investigation at a massive resort with security footage, engineer meetings, and finger-pointing.

The takeaway:
 Communication prevents chaos.
Even innocent mistakes look guilty on camera. Steve made it right, replaced the kit, and lived to fight another day.

🔥 Segment 3 — The Insurance Interlude (with Pat from California Pool Association)

Pat joins Steve to tackle a question EVERY pool pro needs to know:

“If my client is renting out their pool on Airbnb or Swimpley… does that affect MY liability?”

Key takeaways:

• Yes, they should absolutely tell you. It changes the risk profile dramatically.
• Some general liability policies do differentiate between residential/commercial use.
• Airbnb pools are statistically higher risk — more strangers, more alcohol, more incidents.
• If someone is hosting swim lessons, renting the house, or renting just the pool, call your insurance agent.
• Injuries, even small ones (like a teenager scraping their leg) can trigger six-figure claims.
• Acid washes, resurfacing issues, and sharp plaster? Document. Sign waivers. Photograph everything.

Talking Pools listeners get $100 off CPA general liability insurance — mention the podcast when you contact them.

🔥 Segment 4 — Tools, Training & Showing Up Prepared

Steve explains why you should never:

• Show up without channel locks
• Attempt a repair without Teflon tape
• Try to muscle 3” unions with your bare hands
• Leave your pole on top of your truck (we’ve all done it once)

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On this Talking Pools episode, host Natalie Hood, Director of Education and Network Development for The Grit Game, sits down with Jody O’Grady, Director of Commercial Sales for API Water and long-time industry chemist, to unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in pool care: specialty chemicals.

Chlorine gets all the attention, but oxidizers, enzymes, and flocculants quietly decide whether your water is comfortable, clear, and compliant—or a cloudy, smelly headache full of disinfection byproducts and complaints. Jody draws on decades with Taylor Water Technologies and her work on PHTA’s Technical Advisory Council to bust myths, explain the science in plain language, and show how specialty products can support (not replace) chlorine to keep pools safer and easier to manage.

If you’ve ever wondered whether non-chlorine shock actually does anything, if enzymes are all “basically the same,” or what Flock It Friday is really about, this episode connects the dots.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

Chlorine’s job vs. specialty chemicals’ job

• Why chlorine (or bromine/PHMB) is irreplaceable as a sanitizer and must be EPA-registered to be counted as such.
• The difference between sanitizing (killing pathogens like Pseudomonas and brain-eating amoeba in properly chlorinated water) and oxidizing (burning off non-living contaminants).
• Why “chlorine can be replaced by specialty chemicals” is a myth—and how crypto is a different beast entirely.

Non-chlorine oxidizers: the quiet workhorse

Real-world impact of high chlorine levels

Enzymes: not “all the same”

Myth-busting with real stories

Flock It Friday and how flocculants actually work

Clarity as a safety standard, not a luxury

The payoff for pros and operators

Guest Info – Jody O’Grady, API Water

• Director of Commercial Sales, API Water
• Nearly 30 years in the pool industry, starting with Taylor Water Technologies (a Fluidra brand)
• Chemistry degree and long-time volunteer with PHTA, currently Vice Chair of the Technical Advisory Council, with prior work on the Recreational Water and Air Quality Committee.

Jody is available for follow-up questions and industry conversations via LinkedIn and direct contact (details provided in the episode outro).

Host Info – Natalie Hood

Director of Education and Network Development, The Grit Game, and regular host on the Talking Pools Podcast, focused on education, professional development, and giving pool pros real-world tools they can use on deck tomorrow.

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Imagine Rudy, Allen Schnaak, Andrea The Pool Girl, and Frank Disher from The Deep End Podcast sitting around a table — the kind of table where coffee gets cold because the conversation gets that good. What starts as a friendly discussion about natural pools quickly spirals into a wild, brain-stretching rollercoaster of biology, engineering, and the eternal question: what exactly is growing in that water, and should we be scared of it?

Natural Pools vs. Traditional Chemistry:

Allen kicks things off like a Zen garden architect explaining why concrete is overrated. He breaks down how natural swimming pools rely on their own carefully engineered ecosystems — less like treating water with a chemistry set and more like teaming up with Mother Nature without letting her go feral. No chlorine tablets, no shock, no weekly “did my test strips lie to me?” panic. Instead, these pools operate as balanced biological systems designed to support themselves.

Biofilm: The Good, the Bad, and the Slimy

Then the conversation shifts — as it always does — to slime. Rudy can’t not talk about biofilm, and Allen’s ready for it. They dig into how natural pools intentionally cultivate biofilms as part of the filtration system. We're talking gravel beds with insane surface area, where microbial communities set up shop and get to work trapping nutrients and particulates. Think of it as a microscopic city of tiny workers… that you hope are the friendly kind.

But What About the Big Bad Wolf: Cryptosporidium?

Of course Rudy drops the hard-hitting question every health inspector has tattooed on their soul: “What about crypto?”

Allen stays calm. He explains that a single crypto oocyst isn’t going to ruin your day — the problem is when you have a rave-level population of them. 

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On this Mondays Down Under episode of the Talking Pools Podcast, Shane in Auckland and Lee on the chilly NSW coast are joined by Jamie from Aquatec, a family business that’s been making swimming pool liners since the late 1970s. They dive into how vinyl liners have evolved from “one blue fits all” to highly engineered, custom-fit solutions for everything from tired old concrete pools to wild freeform designs with benches, bar stools, and beach entries.

Jamie shares the story of taking over the business from his father and sister, partnering with an Australian manufacturer to bring in cutting-edge 3D measuring technology, and how a smart pivot into refurbishments kept them thriving when new builds slowed down. The trio also tackle a listener question from Debbie in Florida about liquid chlorine and vinyl, unpack myths around chlorine damage, talk calcium hardness in liner pools, and swap some unforgettable insurance stories—kangaroos, cows, and pole-vaulting kids included.

If you’ve ever hesitated to recommend vinyl, or wondered how long a liner really lasts when it’s properly maintained and balanced, this episode is your masterclass.

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In this conversation, Rudy Stankowitz emphasizes the critical role of calcium hardness and total dissolved solids (TDS) in pool chemistry. He explains how these factors influence the effectiveness of chlorine, algaecides, and other pool chemicals, highlighting the importance of maintaining the right balance for optimal pool performance.


Takeaways

Calcium hardness and TDS are crucial for pool chemistry.
They influence how effectively chlorine works.
Proper levels allow other chemicals to perform optimally.
Incorrect levels lead to inefficiencies in pool products.
Understanding these factors is key to pool maintenance.
They dictate the performance of algaecides and enzymes.
Maintaining balance is essential for stain and scale prevention.
Every chemical added must work against the existing conditions.
The right environment enhances overall pool health.
Pool chemistry is interconnected and requires careful management.


"They dictate how fast chlorine works."
"Calcium hardness and TDS are stage players."
"Get the calcium and TDS environment right."


Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Pool Chemistry and Community Engagement
00:15 Phosphates and Their Impact on Pool Chemistry
00:39 Preview of the Langelier Saturation Index Discussion

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The conversation explores the complexities of insurance claims, particularly in unusual circumstances involving property damage due to weather events. The speaker shares a vivid account of a claim involving a fallen tree that caused significant damage to a pool area, illustrating the challenges faced by both homeowners and insurance adjusters in assessing and managing such incidents.


Takeaways

The role of insurance adjusters in property damage claims.
Unusual incidents can complicate insurance claims.
Weather events can lead to significant property damage.
Visual descriptions help convey the extent of damage.
Homeowners often hire multiple experts for claims.
The impact of a fallen tree on property can be severe.
Adjusters must navigate complex situations during assessments.
Clear communication is key in insurance claims.
Understanding the damage is crucial for claims processing.
The emotional toll on homeowners during claims is significant.


Sound bites

"The whole thing was just mangled."
"It looked like the Kool-Aid man had come through."
"This is pretty, this is pretty f up."


Chapters

00:00 Weather Challenges and Pool Maintenance
00:06 Building Relationships with Insurance Providers

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